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Moulting of a grasshopper

on 18th November 2014

Amy Tsang came across a grasshopper that she managed to photograph while accompanying KC to Pasir Ris Park on a spider mission.

Wrote Amy: “I was very thrilled when I realised I had spotted a grasshopper which was newly moulted. I had not seen one before in this state. The new wings were light yellow in colour and looked soft and fresh. It looked like a ‘skirt’ when viewed at certain angles (above, below).

“The grasshopper was pretty still when it first moulted. In one of my pixs, its eyes look like they were closed to me, and I wondered if the moulting process took its toil on the grasshopper and now it was actually very tired and catnapping!” added Amy.

“Looking closer at this grasshopper, whose identity I have yet to know, it seemed to have the strangest looking eyes! There were bands of dashes across its eyeball. I wondered why, as most insects don’t seem to spot such ‘banded’ eyes,” continued Amy.

The image above shows it at rest. That below shows it’s wings folded up in the ‘normal’ position assumed by grasshoppers.

Zoologist and avid naturalist Dr Leong Tzi Ming identified the grasshopper as Xenocatantops humilis, a rather common species of grassland and forest edge. “However, although it may be a common and widespread species, certain momentary aspects of its life, such as moulting and mating are seldom documented. So this is a refreshing contribution,” added Tzi Ming.

A newly hatched grasshopper, known as a nymph, has no wings and thus cannot fly. It needs to go through about five stages before becoming a fully mature adult with wings and all. Each stage, known as a moult, involves shedding its exoskeleton and replacing it with a new one. This is necessary as the exoskeleton cannot expand as the body increases in size with each stage of growth. The above encounter most probably shows the final stage of moulting as the grasshopper emerges as a fully adult individual.

Amy Tsang (text and images) & Dr Leong Tzi Ming (grasshopper ID)
Singapore
November 2014

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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